Self-alining bearing.



BEST Amman-E @QW F. S. HITCHCOCK,

SELF ALINING BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7j 190s.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

EREDEEEC S. H'ITCHCGCK, 0F LYNN, IISSACHSETTS, ASSEGNO@ GENERAL ELECTRIC COMIFNY, COBBOBATION OE' NEVI YLK.

SELF-'ALINING BEAENG.

noiariii.

Application filed April "l,

To all who-m, it may coacrn: l v

Be it known that l, FREDERICK S. Hi'roH (fecit, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn. in the county of Essex, State of lllassachusetts.' have invented certain new and useful improvements in Self-Aiming Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to self-alining bearings. and nioie especially to those intended for use in elastic iinid turbines wherein the shaft speeds are relatively high, and Where the tendency to distortion diie to temperature changes is more or less great.

'llie object. or" niy iniv'ention is to provide a suitable guide bearing which will yield slightly when the perpendicular relation ot the shaitt and sonic part oit the Wheel casing` is disturbed. but which will hold the bearing as a whole rigidly agr-.instA lateral motion.

n the accompanying; drawing which illustrates one ot the embodiments otniy invention. Figure l is an axial section ot a combined step and guide bearing for a vertical shaftelastic Yfluid turbine; Fig. Q is a cross-section through the shaft and guide bearing; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View showing?1F a part oic the guide bearing in vertical section, and Fig. #l is a View in elevation ofso vertical shaft elastic fluid turbine and the `generator driven thereby.

l indicates the base of the machine which is provided with a chamber 2 that receives the exhaust from the bucket wheels located in the casing 3. Situated on top of the casing is a stool e that supports the genera-tor 5.

6 indicates the vertical shaft which carries the bucket Wheels and tbe. rotating element of the generator.

The base l of the turbine is bored centrally to receive the housing 7, the latte being provided with a peripheral flange 8 by 'means (it-Which it is secured to the base by bolts. .The housingis provided With a lower head 9 in which is supported the lower step l'iearing block 10. rThis block is prevented from turning by pins 1l. The position of the block can be adjusted by means or" the adjusting screw l2, and lubricant is admitted to the chamber between the lower block and the upper block 13 by the conduit 1st termed in the adjusting screw. rlhe upper block is out out to receive the lower end of the shaft and the two are prevented from rotating independently of each other oy the Specification of @letters Yatent.

1998. Serial No. l225,653.

hey 15 and the pins lll. Surrounding the shaft 6 and rotating with it is or may be a sleeve 17. This sleeve is located in guide bearing 18 having a babbitt lining l) and a. peripheral shoulder 20. The housing has an internal shoulder 2l between it and the shoulder 2G is a plurality of disks which are secured by sets of bolts 23 and 24s. rllie disks are suitably sgaced apart by distance pieces 95 which may take the torni of washers. or. they may complete ringlrntlie first case the disls will only be supi ported adjacent to the bolts, while in thev latter case the entire. inner and outer portion et each disk will be supported. .22 are preferably inade o sheet steel or sonic other metal havingthe necessary strength and flexibility. These disks or lainiiiations it will be seen torni a Flexible connector hetWeen the housing' 4' and the ll. @wing to the. tact that4 each of these rings occupies a plano perpendicular to the shaft, it. is evident that the bearing cannot be moved laterally or in a direction perpendicular to the shaft axis. @n the other hand, since the rings tdi-ming the iiexible connector' are located approximately midway the length of the guide bearingl and extend only a short distance. in an axial direction,.1 they will yield slight-ly if' the base. is distorted due to any cause, thus permitting the shaft to reinain true and maintain its vertical position1 and in so doing, reduce the tendency. of the part to vibrate.

ln a vertical shaft turbine it' the bese is 'not .t ee from internal stresses, its lower wall carrying the bearing may Warp oi' change its position slightly with changes in temperature, the ter being; due 'to Variations in loadY Ey vreason oL niy improved construction the odects ct any sneu chanee are reduced to a iiiiininiuin, My improved construction will also compensate for any change in the relation of parts which nieves the upper end et the shaft slightly to one side of its normal position. lt is to be uny derstood that the vrelative change in position of the parts referred to is `very small, but such as it is7 it may cause serious daniage to the machine unless )revision is made to compensate tor it. i

The invention has been illustrated in conn neetion with a vertical shaft turbine, but

rlhe disks guide bearing it may he employed in a horizontal shaft A turbine or other machine wherein itlis de- Matus shown is only ustmtve md tm in. accordance with die provisions ish@ patent maintes, haw@ d smibed im pmsi ple of operation aff' .my nvenem mgthmf with the apparatus which now consider represent the best embodnwm thxevreo; but l desir@ to have i undersmd the apmeans :for atm-mam@ 25h@ disks t@ 'u der@ d licite@ hamm@ uca@ @md h- 

